Fan-filmed video footage of GODSMACK's entire February 28 performance in Brisbane, Australia as part of this year's Soundwave festival can be seen below.
In a 2014 interview with AMH Network, GODSMACK frontman Sully Erna admitted that the band has neglected the international market on a wide scale for most of its nearly 20-year existence, something that GODSMACK planned to change in 2015. "There was a lot of politics going on with our record label and some of the decisions that were made," he explained. "There was a merger, and long story short, it became too expensive for us to go overseas without the support. We had no records in stores. But now it's gotten to the point where we acknowledge that we need to start touring internationally, and we have the support to do it."
Back in 2012, GODSMACK was forced to cancel a number of European dates due to Erna's unspecified vocal troubles.
GODSMACK was only able to perform two of its fourteen scheduled dates in Europe, which marked the first time the band had toured the continent in almost nine years.
GODSMACK's sixth studio album, "1000hp", sold approximately 58,000 copies in its first week of release to land at No. 3 on The Billboard 200 album chart. The disc, which arrived on August 5, 2014, followed up 2011's "The Oracle", which topped the chart with sales of 117,000 copies in its debut week.
Erna described the sound of the "1000hp" album to The Pulse Of Radio as "a little bit more raw, a little bit more open. The writing was a little freer. The production is really kind of raw and in your face, and the songs, man — I'm really, really excited about these songs. And I have to tell you honestly, I wasn't that excited about writing this record at first."

In a brand new interview with Noisey, former W.A.S.P. guitarist Chris Holmes was asked he was surprised by the attention he got with the video for his song "Let It Roar". "No," he responded. "I think it's just because people are talking trash about me. You know, once it gets on Blabbermouth, they start talking about how crappy it is. They're always gonna compare everything I do to W.A.S.P., no matter what. So they start bad-mouthing it. That's probably why it's gotten so viral. But you know, [the video] is just what I do in [my new hometown of] Cannes [France]. It’s a beautiful city. You see me fishing and stuff. I think one part of the video shows a wave hit the rocks and almost knock me off. [Laughs] It's a neat town. You can't do the same things in L.A."
Holmes also talked about his decision to move to France last year. He said: "My wife is from France. But since I left W.A.S.P. I dangled around in L.A., trying to find musicians to play with, but it just didn't work out. The change of culture in the last ten years… My kind of music isn't played that much — not like it was in the '80s."
He continued: "About two years ago, I pulled into a 7-11, and this kid got out of his car. He wasn't listening to rock. When I was his age, that's all I listened to. That made me realize the kind of music I do here anymore… [He was listening to] hip-hop. And I just don't play that kind of music."
Holmes added: "I was talking to one of my friend's kids — he's in high school — and I asked him, 'Why don't you listen to rock, like DEEP PURPLE or something?' And he said, 'Man, that's pussy music.' This is a white kid. So I thought, if people don't listen to this kind of music anymore, why should I even be here? I'm in my 50s, but I want to still keep on going, kind of. So I talked to my wife and we decided to move. They listen to rock more over here. There's lots more concerts and stuff."
Holmes has just released a new album called "Shittin' Bricks".
Holmes joined W.A.S.P. in 1982 and remained with the group until 1990. In 1996, Holmes rejoined W.A.S.P. and stayed with the band until 2001. Holmes has not played with W.A.S.P. since.
Holmes last year released a solo album called "Nothing To Lose". Chris composed, performed, and produced the music and vocals, and teamed up with former MOTÖRHEAD drummer Phil "Philthy Animal" Taylor to perform on and engineer the effort.

According to People.com, METALLICA drummer Lars Ulrich celebrated his upcoming wedding to model Jessica Miller with a bachelor party thrown by "King Of The Hill" creator Mike Judge over the weekend in San Francisco. Ulrich was joined at Lucky Strike bowling alley on Saturday by METALLICA frontman James Hetfield and actors Bradley Cooper and Ian McKellen. A source told People.com that Cooper was the “top bowler” and that the group hung out in a "private Green Room," where they "ate sushi and spinach dip," before heading off to a celebratory dinner.
Ulrich, 51, and Miller, 31, got engaged in July 2013. This will be the third marriage for Lars, who was previously married to Debbie Jones and Skylar Satenstein.
Ulrich has two sons, Myles and Layne, with Satenstein, and a third boy, Bryce, with Danish actress Connie Nielsen.
Miller, who was previously in a relationship with SYSTEM OF A DOWN guitarist Daron Malakian, is a professional model, and has appeared on the cover of various international editions of Vogue magazine. She has also been a model for Gap, H&M and Chanel, among others.

Identical twins Camille and Kennerly Kitthave released a new album, "Harp Attack 2", featuring 14 harp duet covers of rock and metal songs from the '60s, '70s, '80s, '90s, and 2000s, plus a 15th bonus track featuring special guest musicians.
"Harp Attack 2" track listing:
01. Dance Of Death (IRON MAIDEN cover)
02. Hotel California (EAGLES)
03. Eye Of The Tiger (SURVIVOR)
04. The Unforgiven (METALLICA)
05. Every Breath You Take (THE POLICE)
06. House Of The Rising Sun (THE ANIMALS)
07. A Tout Le Monde (MEGADETH)
08. My Immortal (EVANESCENCE)
09. Sweet Dreams (Are Made Of This) (EURYTHMICS)
10. Rhiannon (FLEETWOOD MAC)
11. Crazy Train (OZZY OSBOURNE)
12. The Bard's Song (In The Forest) (BLIND GUARDIAN)
13. Carry On Wayward Son (KANSAS)
14. Don't Stop Believin' (JOURNEY)
15. Hotel California (featuring Sonido Urbano and Kevin Bartlett)
The official video for Camille and Kennerly's arrangement of METALLICA's "The Unforgiven" can be seen below.
Known as the "harp twins," Camille and Kennerly perform internationally as a dynamic acoustic and electric rock harp duo.
As the world's only known identical twin professional harpists, Camille and Kennerly have a passion and flair for arranging and performing contemporary music for harp duet.
Camille and Kennerly are known for their remarkable duet harp arrangements of songs by artists such as GUNS N' ROSES, LED ZEPPELIN, METALLICA, AEROSMITH, AC/DC, DEEP PURPLE and many more. The twins also arrange and perform a jukebox of Broadway, video game, TV and movie soundtrack hits. In addition to being prolific arrangers, Camille and Kennerly compose and perform their own original pieces for harp duet.
In December of 2013, Camille and Kennerly released their first covers albums, "Harp Attack", featuring 14 of their most popular rock and metal arrangements, and "Harp Fantasy", featuring 14 of their most popular TV and movie soundtrack, anime, and video game arrangements.
Camille and Kennerly began posting harp duet music videos of their rock, metal and contemporary cover arrangements on YouTube several years ago. The twins have since acquired over 14 million total views on their 100 percent independently produced videos in addition to amassing legions of fans worldwide — including over 100,000 YouTube subscribers and over 100,000 Facebook fans. Camille and Kennerly are known for their personal interaction with their fans — responding to more fan messages and comments than any other artist of their echelon.
"The Unforgiven":
"A Tout Le Monde":
"The Bard's Song":
"Crazy Train":
"Dance Of Death":

TREMONTI, the band led by CREED and ALTER BRIDGE guitarist Mark Tremonti, will release its second album, "Cauterize", in May.
The track listing for the CD is as follows:
01. Radical Change
02. Flying Monkeys
03. Cauterize
04. Arm Yourself
05. Dark Trip
06. Another Heart
07. Fall Again
08. Tie The Noose
09. Sympathy
10. Providence
Audio samples of five songs from "Cauterize" can be streamed below. The tracks available for preview are "Another Heart", "Cauterize", "Flying Monkeys", "Providence" and "Sympathy".
The follow-up to 2012's "All I Was", TREMONTI's new CD was helmed by producer Michael "Elvis" Baskette, who previously worked with ALTER BRIDGE and SLASH.
Speaking to the American Forces Network, TREMONTI drummer Garrett Whitlock stated about the band's new album: "We recorded 20 songs for this record, so we're still trying to figure out what we're gonna with all of 'em. But I think it stacks up well against the first one.
"I really do think that we kind of figured out what our strengths were, recording the first album, and with this album, we kind of took that and capitalized on all of it.
"I think, as far as playing goes, everybody was on their 'A' game, and we're really happy with it.
"There's some really good, heavy songs on there; there's some good atmospheric stuff. So we really tried to just take what we enjoyed about the first record and capitalize on that with the second one. I feel like we hit our mark, and we're all really happy with the final product."
VAN HALEN bassist Wolfgang Van Halen joined Tremonti's solo band for touring purposes after ALTER BRIDGE bassist Brian Marshall dropped off the project.
With ALTER BRIDGE and CREED both still active, The Pulse Of Radio asked Tremonti a while back how he knows which songs are right for each project. "I've just gotten this filter, this intuition that tells me what songs go to which band, and with my solo stuff, the rhythm section is so different from the other bands, I think it really stands apart," he said. "I think it's a little more aggressive than both the other bands."
Tremonti recorded "All I Was" using ideas rejected by his ALTER BRIDGE bandmates, who felt some of the material was too "speed metal" for their sound. Tremonti revealed, "I tried it with them about 10 times and it would never stick. I didn't want those ideas to go to waste . . . Now it's a living, breathing band so we gotta keep it going."
Tremonti's other act, ALTER BRIDGE, released its fourth album, called "Fortress", in 2013.

In a brand new interview with Greg Prato of Songfacts, HELLYEAH and MUDVAYNE singer Chad Gray was asked if he thinks MUDVAYNE will ever work together again.
"I don't know if the full band will," he responded. "Who knows — they might be putting something else together. We were talking for a while and that whole Greg thing went down [MUDVAYNE guitarist Greg Tribbett left HELLYEAH in 2013] and everything kind of fell apart. Our relationship, which was the only truly solid relationship in the whole group, although Matt [McDonough, drums] and I are still great, Ryan [Martinie, bass] and I still briefly talk. I mean, the only way I personally would want to do MUDVAYNE is if everybody licked their wounds and got over it."
He continued: "There's a lot of things in that band that tore us apart. Maybe MUDVAYNE was the martyr for people that stopped supporting music. You sell 159,000 records the first week, and then the next record is like, 'Whatever, fuck it.' Maybe it's a subliminal message if you don't support things… MUDVAYNE's probably bigger now than it ever was. So, people want what they can't have."
Asked in Revolver magazine if Greg's exit from HELLYEAH hit him especially hard, seeing as the two of them started off paying together in MUDVAYNE, Chad said: "Yeah, man. He has always been my right-hand man. He's been the back I look at when I'm writing songs and the sounding board for my ideas. When everything went sideways, it was like losing a great friend. I was filled with fear and I had mixed emotions. At first, I was like, Goddamn, I don't know if I'm ever gonna be able to do this without him."
Questioned directly if MUDVAYNE is officially over, Chad replied: "I don't think so. We all still talk. I'm not ready to put a headstone on anything yet."
Back in March 2014, MUDVAYNE posted a message on its Facebook page denying that the band had broken up. The group wrote at the time: "Final explanation… MUDVAYNE is on hiatus. With respect to all the bandmembers, we are all doing something in music that satisfies our appetite right now. When the time is right, MUDVAYNE WILL be back in action. In no shape or form is this a disrespect to our fans. We love our fans and will give them all they can handle when it is time. 'Till then, patience is needed."
It's been more than five years since MUDVAYNE released its self-titled fifth album and little has been heard about the band since then. But in a late 2010 interview with the music blog Warwick, MUDVAYNE bassist Ryan Martinie discussed the group almost entirely in the past tense. When asked about the quartet's musical evolution, Martinie said, "I think that what we did is valuable. It's become a cog in the wheel of music in some sort of way. We are a piece of musical history now . . . We were always just responding to our environment. I always saw the band to be important as an aspect of my life, as something that was supposed to take us places that are positive, and in that sense everything that happened with the band has happened for a reason."
MUDVAYNE did not tour behind its fifth album, which was barely promoted and sold weakly upon release.

In a brand new interview with Greg Prato of Songfacts, HELLYEAH and MUDVAYNE singer Chad Gray was asked if he thinks MUDVAYNE will ever work together again.
"I don't know if the full band will," he responded. "Who knows — they might be putting something else together. We were talking for a while and that whole Greg thing went down [MUDVAYNE guitarist Greg Tribbett left HELLYEAH in 2013] and everything kind of fell apart. Our relationship, which was the only truly solid relationship in the whole group, although Matt [McDonough, drums] and I are still great, Ryan [Martinie, bass] and I still briefly talk. I mean, the only way I personally would want to do MUDVAYNE is if everybody licked their wounds and got over it."
He continued: "There's a lot of things in that band that tore us apart. Maybe MUDVAYNE was the martyr for people that stopped supporting music. You sell 159,000 records the first week, and then the next record is like, 'Whatever, fuck it.' Maybe it's a subliminal message if you don't support things… MUDVAYNE's probably bigger now than it ever was. So, people want what they can't have."
Asked in Revolver magazine if Greg's exit from HELLYEAH hit him especially hard, seeing as the two of them started off paying together in MUDVAYNE, Chad said: "Yeah, man. He has always been my right-hand man. He's been the back I look at when I'm writing songs and the sounding board for my ideas. When everything went sideways, it was like losing a great friend. I was filled with fear and I had mixed emotions. At first, I was like, Goddamn, I don't know if I'm ever gonna be able to do this without him."
Questioned directly if MUDVAYNE is officially over, Chad replied: "I don't think so. We all still talk. I'm not ready to put a headstone on anything yet."
Back in March 2014, MUDVAYNE posted a message on its Facebook page denying that the band had broken up. The group wrote at the time: "Final explanation… MUDVAYNE is on hiatus. With respect to all the bandmembers, we are all doing something in music that satisfies our appetite right now. When the time is right, MUDVAYNE WILL be back in action. In no shape or form is this a disrespect to our fans. We love our fans and will give them all they can handle when it is time. 'Till then, patience is needed."
It's been more than five years since MUDVAYNE released its self-titled fifth album and little has been heard about the band since then. But in a late 2010 interview with the music blog Warwick, MUDVAYNE bassist Ryan Martinie discussed the group almost entirely in the past tense. When asked about the quartet's musical evolution, Martinie said, "I think that what we did is valuable. It's become a cog in the wheel of music in some sort of way. We are a piece of musical history now . . . We were always just responding to our environment. I always saw the band to be important as an aspect of my life, as something that was supposed to take us places that are positive, and in that sense everything that happened with the band has happened for a reason."
MUDVAYNE did not tour behind its fifth album, which was barely promoted and sold weakly upon release.

Greek/Swedish melodic death metallers NIGHTRAGE will release their sixth studio album, "The Puritan", on April 24 via Despotz Records.
"The Puritan" — described in a press release as "an uncompromising, eerie, dramatic and melodic death metal journey in its purest essence" — welcomes new NIGHTRAGE vocalist Ronnie Nyman to the mix. Nyman joins NIGHTRAGE guitarist and founding member Marios Iliopoulos and bassist Anders Hammer after performing with the band last year on its Japanese and Russian tours.
"The Puritan" was produced by Daniel Bergstrand (MESHUGGAH, DEVIN TOWNSEND, SOILWORK) and George Nerantzis at Dugout Productions in Uppsala, Sweden.
"The Puritan" track listing:
01. The Puritan
02. With A Blade Of A Knife
03. Desperate Vows
04. Endless Night
05. Foul Vile Life
06. Stare Into Infinity
07. Lone Lake (Instrumental)
08. Son of Sorrow
09. When Gold Turns To Rust
10. Fathomless
11. Kiss Of A Sycophant
The song "Desperate Vows" can be streamed using the SoundCloud widget below. Also available is the music video for the CD's first single, "Kiss Of A Sycophant".
Says Marios Iliopoulos: "'Kiss Of A Sycophant' is traditional NIGHTRAGE melodic death metal. We feel that with this album we manage to combine the death metal ferocity with ethereal melodies and great hooks all in one nice metal amalgam."
NIGHTRAGE was founded in 2000 in Greece by Marios Iliopoulos and his close friend, Gus G., who departed after the band's second album, "Descent Into Chaos".
During the band's 14-year career, NIGHTRAGE has released five studio albums and toured across Europe, the U.S., Canada and Asia while employing various musicians from AT THE GATES, EVERGREY, DARK TRANQUILLITY, AMARANTHE and FIREWIND.
NIGHTRAGE signed a record/publishing deal with Swedish music company Despotz in summer 2014 before entering the studio with Daniel Bergstrand and George Nerantzis.
"Today we are proud to announce that we have signed an album deal with Despotz Records," commented Iliopoulos. "We are super excited to work with such a dedicated bunch of people."
"Dreams can really come true; NIGHTRAGE is a living proof of that," added Ömer Akay, Despotz Records co-founder and partner. "I'm honored to be working with Marios and NIGHTRAGE; we truly have the same background and visions to take the band to the mainstream."
NIGHTRAGE is:
Marios Iliopoulos - Guitar
Ronnie Nyman - Vocals
Anders Hammer - Bass

Greek/Swedish melodic death metallers NIGHTRAGE will release their sixth studio album, "The Puritan", on April 24 via Despotz Records.
"The Puritan" — described in a press release as "an uncompromising, eerie, dramatic and melodic death metal journey in its purest essence" — welcomes new NIGHTRAGE vocalist Ronnie Nyman to the mix. Nyman joins NIGHTRAGE guitarist and founding member Marios Iliopoulos and bassist Anders Hammer after performing with the band last year on its Japanese and Russian tours.
"The Puritan" was produced by Daniel Bergstrand (MESHUGGAH, DEVIN TOWNSEND, SOILWORK) and George Nerantzis at Dugout Productions in Uppsala, Sweden.
"The Puritan" track listing:
01. The Puritan
02. With A Blade Of A Knife
03. Desperate Vows
04. Endless Night
05. Foul Vile Life
06. Stare Into Infinity
07. Lone Lake (Instrumental)
08. Son of Sorrow
09. When Gold Turns To Rust
10. Fathomless
11. Kiss Of A Sycophant
The song "Desperate Vows" can be streamed using the SoundCloud widget below. Also available is the music video for the CD's first single, "Kiss Of A Sycophant".
Says Marios Iliopoulos: "'Kiss Of A Sycophant' is traditional NIGHTRAGE melodic death metal. We feel that with this album we manage to combine the death metal ferocity with ethereal melodies and great hooks all in one nice metal amalgam."
NIGHTRAGE was founded in 2000 in Greece by Marios Iliopoulos and his close friend, Gus G., who departed after the band's second album, "Descent Into Chaos".
During the band's 14-year career, NIGHTRAGE has released five studio albums and toured across Europe, the U.S., Canada and Asia while employing various musicians from AT THE GATES, EVERGREY, DARK TRANQUILLITY, AMARANTHE and FIREWIND.
NIGHTRAGE signed a record/publishing deal with Swedish music company Despotz in summer 2014 before entering the studio with Daniel Bergstrand and George Nerantzis.
"Today we are proud to announce that we have signed an album deal with Despotz Records," commented Iliopoulos. "We are super excited to work with such a dedicated bunch of people."
"Dreams can really come true; NIGHTRAGE is a living proof of that," added Ömer Akay, Despotz Records co-founder and partner. "I'm honored to be working with Marios and NIGHTRAGE; we truly have the same background and visions to take the band to the mainstream."
NIGHTRAGE is:
Marios Iliopoulos - Guitar
Ronnie Nyman - Vocals
Anders Hammer - Bass

Former STONE TEMPLE PILOTS and VELVET REVOLVER singer Scott Weiland and his band THE WILDABOUTS will release their first album ever on March 31. Titled "Blaster", the CD was produced by Rick Parker (BLACK REBEL MOTORCYCLE CLUB) and recorded throughout 2014 at Lavish Studios in Burbank and at The Sandbox in Beachwood Canyon.
"Blaster" features twelve tracks, all but one written by Weiland.
A video teaser for the tracks "White Lightning" and "Circles" is available below.
SCOTT WEILAND AND THE WILDABOUTS recently parted ways with drummer Danny Thompson and replaced him with former QUEENS OF THE STONE AGE and CALIFORNIA BREED drummer Joey Castillo.
Weiland told The Pulse Of Radio that touring with his solo band changed the way he approached writing his new album. "It's much more of an overall collaborative effort, and it's much more rock 'n' roll and it's a newer thing, 'cause we've been creating our own sound as we've been touring, and the sound grows and evolves and changes as we collaborate together as writers," he said.
His last solo effort was the more experimental "Happy In Galoshes", released in 2008.
Weiland is taking THE WILDABOUTS on tour starting on February 22 in Scottsdale, Arizona, with shows booked through May.

Former STONE TEMPLE PILOTS and VELVET REVOLVER singer Scott Weiland and his band THE WILDABOUTS will release their first album ever on March 31. Titled "Blaster", the CD was produced by Rick Parker (BLACK REBEL MOTORCYCLE CLUB) and recorded throughout 2014 at Lavish Studios in Burbank and at The Sandbox in Beachwood Canyon.
"Blaster" features twelve tracks, all but one written by Weiland.
A video teaser for the tracks "White Lightning" and "Circles" is available below.
SCOTT WEILAND AND THE WILDABOUTS recently parted ways with drummer Danny Thompson and replaced him with former QUEENS OF THE STONE AGE and CALIFORNIA BREED drummer Joey Castillo.
Weiland told The Pulse Of Radio that touring with his solo band changed the way he approached writing his new album. "It's much more of an overall collaborative effort, and it's much more rock 'n' roll and it's a newer thing, 'cause we've been creating our own sound as we've been touring, and the sound grows and evolves and changes as we collaborate together as writers," he said.
His last solo effort was the more experimental "Happy In Galoshes", released in 2008.
Weiland is taking THE WILDABOUTS on tour starting on February 22 in Scottsdale, Arizona, with shows booked through May.

Swedish hard rock veterans EUROPE will release their tenth album, "War Of Kings", on March 10 via UDR Music. Recorded at the brand new PanGaia Studios in Stockholm, Sweden, produced by Dave Cobb (RIVAL SONS) and engineered by John Netti, the CD sees the classic rocking quintet confidently creating 11 monsterously melodic, yet hard-hitting, classic rock and roll standouts for their fervent global audience.
The entire CD can be streamed at Yahoo! Music. It is also available below.
"War Of Kings" will be available in multiple formats, as a CD digipak, a CD jewel case, a vinyl LP and in digital download format.
Says EUROPE singer Joey Tempest: "'War Of Kings' is the album we always wanted to make, ever since we were kids listening to bands like [LED] ZEPPELIN, [DEEP] PURPLE and [BLACK] SABBATH. And after hearing Dave Cobb's amazing production for RIVAL SONS, we simply had to work with him. Our adventure is still ON!"
EUROPE's place as a legendary classic rock band was platinum-stamped early in their career, having enjoyed an explosive period of worldwide success in the '80s, under-pinned by their hit album and single "The Final Countdown", before going on hiatus between 1992 and 2003. They reunited and quickly settled into a period of re-establishment which has seen them re-enforce their reputation worldwide as one of the premier purveyors of blues-tinged classic rock with an edge and some kick. Their last album, 2012's "Bag Of Bones", saw EUROPE hit the UK top 40 rock album charts and debut at No. 2 on the Swedish national charts, and "War Of Kings" is set to take full advantage of the global groundwork EUROPE have put in over the last few years.
Joey adds: "Hey! We took the long road! but we wanted to re-establish EUROPE the proper way. It's taken 10 years and countless tours since the reunion, but we're finally getting there! And we’ve done it our way!"
EUROPE commenced their roadwork supporting "War Of Kings" with a U.K./Ireland tour in Dublin on March 2 (their first visit to Ireland in 25 years) before continuing in the U.K. with BLACK STAR RIDERS.
Says Joey: "Looking forward to 'tons' of touring in 2015! It's getting harder and harder to be modest and humble about this band! It doesn't get much better than this!"
"War Of Kings" track listing:
01. War Of Kings
02. Hole In My Pocket
03. The Second Day
04. Praise You
05. Nothin' To Ya
06. California 405
07. Days Of Rock 'N' Roll
08. Children Of The Mind
09. Rainbow Bridge
10. Angels (With Broken Hearts)
11. Light It Up
12. Vasastan (instrumental) (bonus track) (digipack and Japanese editions only)

JUDAS PRIEST singer Rob Halford says that he is hoping that streaming music services like Spotify will apply "common sense" in the near future so that artists can be compensated more fairly for their work.
Asked by New Zealand's 3News to weigh in on the ongoing debate surrounding Taylor Swift's decision to pull her music from Spotify, Halford said: "I think that we are seeing the debate about streaming much like we saw the debate when Apple iTunes first came onboard. It was a very, kind of, tumultuous time, and it took a while for things to settle down."
He continued: "If you look at the breakdown of streaming, if you take what the artist gets once the breakdown happens, it really is just pennies out of the pie. It's like a piece; you slice it up. The bands get the tiniest bit. And then we have to divvy that up between how many members there are in the band. So it's a bit of a battle that's going on. But I really hope that fairness will prevail."
Halford added: "The big [streaming services] like Spotify, they appreciate the position that they're in. They've got buckets of money, and they go, 'Well, we're still getting…' Well, come on, guys. I think, you just gotta be 'fair's fair' here. Without us, you don't have a streaming company. That's it, plain and simple.
"So it's a struggle, it's a battle, but I think the artists will prevail and I'm hoping that we'll see some common sense from Spotify and the others to make it all work for everybody."
Halford was also asked what advice he would give to new bands who are just starting out and are forced to deal with decreasing record sales and smaller recording budgets.
"I could talk to you for hours about this, but in a nutshell, first and foremost, if you're in a band, don't give up, don't give in," he said. "Just go as far as you wanna go in your dreams. It doesn't matter… Don't think about… I mean, it's good to imagine where you might end up, because that's what drives us all, I think. But the basic core of being in a band, being with your mates, getting together in a garage or a rehearsal space, banging away… it's the best feeling in the world; it really is. So enjoy that first and foremost."
He continued: "If you wanna try and become professional, then you do have to be prepared for quite a bumpy road. It doesn't matter whether it's 1971 when PRIEST began or 2015. It is a different world. It's gotta be incredibly challenging for new bands now, from a financial point of view, just to find enough money to put in a van, to get the engine turning. That's what we did in PRIEST — food or petrol. We've gotta put petrol in. So that really hasn't changed that much. But to actually try and make it work economically is difficult. But please don't let that dissuade you. 'Cause we need more bands, we need more music. We are the old guard of heavy metal, and we need the new metal bands — all kinds of music. We need the new blood to keep it strong and alive."
JUDAS PRIEST's 17th studio album, "Redeemer Of Souls", sold around 32,000 copies in the United States in its first week of release to land at position No. 6 on The Billboard 200 chart.
JUDAS PRIEST's 2008 double-disc concept album, "Nostradamus", shifted 42,000 copies in the United States in its first week of release to debut at No. 11. This marked the band's highest-ever chart position in the U.S. In Canada, the CD opened at position No. 9 after moving close to 4,000 units.
JUDAS PRIEST's 2005 CD, "Angel of Retribution", premiered with 58,000 copies in the U.S. to debut at No. 13.
JUDAS PRIEST's most successful album to date is 1982's "Screaming For Vengeance", which spent 53 weeks on the Billboard charts, receiving gold RIAA sales certification on October 29, 1982, platinum on April 18, 1983 and double platinum October 16, 2001. The album included the band's only U.S. top 100 hit single, "You've Got Another Thing Comin'".
Other million-seller RIAA certifications for JUDAS PRIEST are "Priest Live" (October 29, 2001), "Turbo" (July 24, 1989), "Defenders of the Faith" (September 26, 1988), "British Steel" (August 9, 1989) and "Unleashed in the East" (November 10, 1989).
JUDAS PRIEST also has gold albums certifications (500,000 sales) for "Stained Class" (November 10, 1989), "Hell Bent For Leather" (November 10, 1989), "Point of Entry" (November 10, 1989), "Ram It Down" (July 18, 1988) and "Painkiller" (January 2, 1991).

HBO has teamed up with some of the music industry's top artists for the second installment of "Catch The Throne: The Mixtape", for the Emmy- and Golden Globe-winning series "Game Of Thrones". Building on the success of Volume I — with over 2.5 million streams to date — that attracted hip-hop and reggaeton fans alike, "Volume II" will feature Method Man, Snoop Dogg and Yandel and will transcend genres by adding Grammy-nominated metal bands KILLSWITCH ENGAGE and ANTHRAX to the mixtape lineup. The mixtape will be released in anticipation of the season 5 debut of "Game Of Thrones", airing April 12 on HBO.
A snippet of ANTHRAX's contribution to "Catch The Throne: The Mixtape" can be streamed in the Instagram post below.
Scott Ian, founding member of ANTHRAX, told Finland's Kaaos TV: "[Our contribution to the mixtape] was a song we had already written [for our next studio album]. We didn't have time to start writing something brand new from scratch. We listened to all the material we had and made the decision. That one just… We all thought the same thing. Everybody listened to the demos and we all had the same idea that this one demo just sounded like that should be the song for 'Game Of Thrones', so it was a pretty easy decision. The lyrics weren't written yet, though — we only had the music — so then [the show producers] said you have to pick something about the show to write about. And I got to write about exactly what I wanted to write about [the Lannister family], so I was very happy about that. It was a really fun thing for me to do, because I'm such a massive fan of the show. So are Charlie [Benante, drums] and Frankie [Bello, bass] — they're really big fans. So it was just something really exciting that we got the call to do that. And we were, like, 'Yeah!' A lot of times you get calls for things, and it's kind of, like, 'Naaahhh. Just say no.' But this we were very excited about."
Produced by Launch Point Records, the 15-song mixtape features diverse artists representing "Game Of Thrones" families, leveraging themes and highlights from season 4. Showcasing the importance of music in "Game Of Thrones", each song on the mixtape samples music from the show's season 4 soundtrack. This year's mixtape also weaves in the overarching theme of fire and ice, providing listeners with an exciting lineup of heavy metal and hip-hop artists.
Lucinda Martinez, SVP of multicultural marketing at HBO, stated: "'Catch The Throne: The Mixtape' garnered much praise and piqued interest of artists wanting to partake in its sequel. We're excited to seize the opportunity to channel the fandom of these artists into 'Volume II' and give audiences another opportunity to experience original music inspired by the show. We are particularly excited to integrate heavy metal into the mixtape this time around to continue our celebration of this groundbreaking series."
"Catch The Throne: The Mixtape Volume II" will be released next month free of charge. Listeners are encouraged to share using the hashtag #CatchTheThrone.
Viewers can access previous seasons of "Game Of Thrones" on HBO GO, HBO On Demand or by checking local listings for replays.

Finnish cello rockers APOCALYPTICA — accompanied by their American lead singer Franky Perez — will set out on the road in May 2015 to bring their unique and exciting live show to fans across the U.S. and Canada. The band will be fresh off its April tour dates opening for SIXX: A.M. and ready to hit the road again.
APOCALYPTICA's headline run will follow the highly anticipated release of the band's eighth album, "Shadowmaker", which is due on April 21 via Eleven Seven Music Group's Better Noise imprint. Support on the trek will come from Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada-based rockers ART OF DYING.
Says APOCALYPTICA: "It's really exciting for us to return to the U.S. and Canada for our headline tour and we can't wait to present a lot of new material from our upcoming album, 'Shadowmaker'. Our new singer, Franky Perez, who is a real entertainer, will definitely bring an interesting new edge to our show and we are looking forward to seeing old friends and making new ones."
ART OF DYING shared its excitement for being apart of the tour: "We are ecstatic to be hitting the road for the first time in three years and performing our new music with APOCALYPTICA! The cities and venues on this tour are some of our favorites in North America, including a hometown stop in Vancouver... We're going to bring it hard!"
The dates are as follows:
May 17 - Norfolk, VA @ The NorVa
May 19 - Raleigh, NC @ Lincoln Center
May 20 - Atlanta, GA @ The Masquerade
May 23 - Lubbock, TX @ Jake’s Backroom
May 24 - Albuquerque, NM @ Sunshine Theater
May 25 - Tempe, AZ @ Marquee Theatre
May 27 - Reno, NV @ Knitting Factory Concert House
May 28 - Garden City, ID @ Revolution Center
May 29 - Seattle, WA @ Showbox SODO
May 30 - Vancouver, BC @ Commodore Ballroom
Jun. 01 - Edmonton, AB @ Union Hall
Jun. 02 - Calgary, AB @ MacEwan Hall Ballroom
Jun. 03 - Saskatoon, SK @ O’Brian’s Event Centre
Jun. 04 - Winnipeg, MB @ The Garrick Centre
Jun. 06 - Milwaukee, WI @ The Rave
Jun. 07 - Grand Rapids, MI @ The Intersection
Jun. 08 - London, ON @ London Music Hall
Jun. 09 - Quebec City, QC @ Imperial
Jun. 10 - Montreal, QC @ Metropolis
Asked how APOCALYPTICA ended up hiring Franky Perez to handle the vocals on the entire "Shadowmaker" record, APOCALYPTICA's Eicca Toppinen said: "It was actually the beginning of June last year when we made the decision to, 'Okay, there's no more guest vocalists on this record. We need to find a guy who makes the record and will tour with us for the record. It's like a puzzle where all the pieces of the puzzle are spread all over, they are not connected, and we need to get those pieces connected. And ways to have one singer to make the whole thing more understandable for people, to make the working circumstances more comfortable for us where things are not so dependant on people outside of the band — the guests, the managers and the label — so it's all about us."
He continued: "Our manager put a quiet request in the business, like, 'Okay, APOCALYPTICA searching for a singer for the record. Do we have any suggestions or any people who are great singers who do not have the right band yet?' And we got about 20-25 suggestions. We went through them, and asked five of them to make a recording and from those we picked out three and asked them to sing a little piece of 'Hole In My Soul' from the new album, and Franky was the obvious choice. So he came through the record company search. Somebody said at the American label that he's the guy, 'I've used him many times on session [recordings]. He's great. And he didn't have anything active going except his solo record, but nothing band-wise."
Eicca added: "I love Franky's voice. He's not just a regular singer. He has a very soulful sound and he's able to sing different styles, which is perfect for APOCALYPTICA, because our songs are not only heavy metal, it's a variety of different colors and different dynamics, and the singer needs to match that, and I think Franky is a perfect match."
Asked if APOCALYPTICA would consider keeping Perez permanently as a bandmember, Eicca said: "It's too early to think about it, but nothing is decided. Now we got the record done, and then we will have touring more or less for two years, and at the end of that time, or sometime during those two years, we will know. But it wouldn't be an impossible option to have Franky in the band, but it's too early to think about it. We have been through several concepts, and we still want the option to change the concept to do something different."

Former CARCASS guitarist Carlo Regadas has joined forces with drummer Ian Treacy (ex-BENEDICTION, MEATHOOK SEED, ABSOLUTE POWER) and vocalist Tony Glover (ex-DEVOID) in a new band called MONSTRANCE.
Regarding the formation of MONSTRANCE, Carlo said: "After CARCASS and BLACKSTAR, I always continued to write and record music, it's something I can't help doing. Around 2005, I acquired some recording software and just started recording these songs, playing all instruments, over the course of a couple of years. A lot of these riffs and ideas were knocking around from my CARCASS / BLACKSTAR days, some even predate that. I never intended doing anything with the material; it was just to keep myself busy, really.
"A couple of years ago, I moved to Fuerteventura, in the Canary Islands. On returning back to the U.K. to live, I thought about those songs I'd recorded but realised that I no longer had them. I asked Tony if he still had them and lo and behold, he still had them on his iPod. I listened to the stuff and actually really enjoyed hearing it again after all these years. I sent a couple of tracks to a couple of Facebook friends who'd been interested in what I'd been up to during my 17-year musical hiatus and the response was astounding! I was urged to send the tracks to labels because people were sure the material was very strong. The response from the labels has been nothing short of staggering, too. I then set about looking for guys who I thought would like to do this with me.
"Vocals was easy, Tony is my best friend and I've always wanted to do something with him, since our time in DEVOID together. Tony has a great dynamic range and powerful delivery, he's singing far better than he did with DEVOID, not that his vocals for DEVOID were lacking in, anyway. His new approach and delivery suits the music perfectly; he's a powerhouse!
"Both Tony and myself knew Ian from old; DEVOID had played with BENEDICTION back in the day and Tony actually stayed at Ian's house, Ian sold the drummer from DEVOID some drums etc, so it just seemed the obvious choice.
"Everything about this band has been done very carefully and with a lot of thought. There was never any intention of looking for huge, well-known musicians from the genre, it was more important to find good people, rather than look for credentials, the same goes for the live members, Steve and John. They are great lads who just happen to be great musicians.
"Hopefully, once pen is put to paper, we can set about recording the debut album.
"I've been asked a lot, 'is it death metal?' To me, it's just metal, albeit with downtuned guitars and extreme vocals. I guess if it is going to be categorised, it will probably be labelled as melodic death metal or something like that.
"I'm not interested in genres and I never have been, I'll leave that stuff to the journos. To us, it's just metal. We don't feel the need to attach a prefix to it, suffice to say; it is as crushingly heavy as it is melodic and catchy.
"Hopefully, we can get in the studio [as soon as possible] and unleash the album that metal world has been missing for the last 20 years!"
Regadas replaced Michael Amott in CARCASS's lineup prior to the recording of the band's last pre-reformation studio album, 1996's appropriately titled "Swansong".
For more information on MONSTRANCE, click here.

On January 16, Josh Rundquist (a.k.a. That Drummer Guy) conducted an interview with drummer Anders Jivarp of Swedish melodic death metallers DARK TRANQUILLITY before the band's performance at the Triple Rock in Minneapolis, Minnesota. You can now listen to the chat in the YouTube clip below.
Speaking about the progress of the songwriting sessions for DARK TRANQUILLITY's follow-up to 2013's "Construct", Anders said: "Myself and our keyboard player [Martin Brändström] have been writing ever since June. Pretty much three times a week we meet up in his studio and just write, so we have a lot of material — actually, almost six [or] seven songs done. Not with guitar solos and vocals, but it's there. So we said we're gonna spend… After this [North American] tour, we're kind of done [with the 'Construct' album cycle]. We're gonna do festivals and stuff like that, but we're gonna concentrate, in a really slow tempo, on just releasing a really, really good album. And I think we can do that, I'm pretty sure."
He continued: "We're talking about recording the album in October [and] November, [and it makes] sense to release it in maybe March [or] April [of 2016]."
Regarding the musical direction of the new DARK TRANQUILLITY material, Anders said: "I've been writing, like, 95 percent of it. It's very guitar oriented. It's very… I'm surprised, actually, how a drummer and a keyboard player can create so many guitar riffs. 'Cause 'Construct' was a little bit different; it was more… [It didn't have] too many guitar riffs necessarily. But I would say it's gonna surprise a lot of listeners. Maybe they wil say, 'Oh, [it sounds like] old DARK TRANQUILLITY,' with so much guitar riffs and stuff. It's a little bit towards that direction, I dare to say, even if it's not… I played some of the songs for Niklas [Sundin], our guitar player, and he was, like, 'Woah! Fuck! What's this?' [Laughs] So… We'll see. No ballads so far. I'm very happy with it."
He continued: "I'm surprised, actually, that me and Martin could do that, actually. 'Cause I was… When I started writing, I was, like, 'Hmm… How is this album gonna sound? Maybe like ANATHEMA [and] OPETH… This mellow, soft…' You know?! 'Cause I like that. But when I started writing, it was, like… no. This is what I've got. All this fast stuff. So… Maybe the album after that will be the slow one. We'll see."
DARK TRANQUILLITY's tenth studio album, "Construct", was released on May 27, 2013 via Century Media Records. The CD was mixed by Jens Bogren (PARADISE LOST, OPETH, KATATONIA) at his Fascination Street studios in Örebro, Sweden.
DARK TRANQUILLITY filmed a music video for the song "Uniformity" in April 2013 with Patric Ullaeus of Revolver Film Company, who has previously worked with DIMMU BORGIR, LACUNA COIL, IN FLAMES, SONIC SYNDICATE and KAMELOT, among others.

Finnish "apocalyptic death rock" band BEASTMILK has parted ways with guitarist and co-founding member Johan "Goatspeed" Snell and has changed its name to GRAVE PLEASURES.
Says the band in a statement: "We ask you to understand that both sides did absolutely everything they could to make things work, but were unable to find a way to continue together.
"We all wish Johan the very best, but the show must go on.
"Given these circumstances, BEASTMILK will continue to forge ahead, but will assume the new identity of GRAVE PLEASURES.
"The band is on atomic fire, with a new album and new members in our ranks.
"We look forward to seeing you at all of the shows, where we will play your favourite BEASTMILK tracks, alongside brand new material from the forthcoming album.
"Along with the name change, new live/studio guitarist Juho Vanhanen (ORANSSI PAZUZU) has joined the band, while guitarist Snell departs the ranks.
"Juho V. is welcomed into GRAVE PLEASURES by frontman Kvohst, bassist Arino and guitarist Linnéa Olsson (THE OATH, SONIC RITUAL), who joined the band earlier in 2014.
"The band can also reveal that they will be signing a major label deal and that they will go into the studio in May with producer Tom Dalgety (ROYAL BLOOD, KILLING JOKE), with the album set for release in September, followed by a European tour."
GRAVE PLEASURES singer Mat "Kvohst", who wrote the material on BEASTMILK's debut album, 2013's "Climax", says of the name and lineup change: "The lineup has never been stronger!
"We're really excited to perform material from the forthcoming album and classic songs from 'Climax'.
"The name might change, but the songs and the performance will be better than ever."

NASHVILLE PUSSY will release a compilation album, "Ten Years Of Pussy", in Scandinavia on May 6, in Germany on May 8, in the rest of Europe on May 11 and in the USA on May 12 via SPV/Steamhammer. The effort will be made available as a 2CD digipak and a digital download.
"Ten Years Of Pussy" is described in a press release a a "22-track monster [that] takes [NASHVILLE PUSSY's] best studio tracks of the last decade and even throws in a live bonus EP taken from a blistering 2009 show at Nottingham.".
NASHVILLE PUSSY hail from Atlanta, deep in the heart of "the BBQ nation" and sound like AC/DC slap boxing with LYNYRD SKYNYRD while MOTÖRHEAD watches. Formed by husband and wife guitarists Blaine Cartwright and Ruyter Suys, NASHVILLE PUSSY rose out of the ashes of Cartwright's former band NINE POUND HAMMER in 1997. Since then they have played thousands of gigs in 40 different countries, received a Grammy nomination and toured with MOTORHEAD, ZZ TOP, LYNYRD SKYNYRD, SLAYER, and a host of other heros who became instant fans. Ruyter was recently voted one of the best female rock performers ever. Together with human metronome drummer Jeremy Thompson, NASHVILLE PUSSY have tolerated numerous labels, trends and bass players. And, when counted out, have consistently pulled off resurrections that make Jesus look like a rank amateur.
The 16 studio tracks from "Ten Years Of Pussy" are taken from their last few releases, highlighting the band's most relevant work of their decade history on label SPV. "Up The Dosage" (2014), featuring rock solid bassist Bonnie Buitrago, has been called "NASHVILLE PUSSY's 'Back In Black'" and was "Pick Of The Week" on "That Metal Show". "From Hell To Texas" (2009) was recorded at Willie Nelson's studio in Texas and featured some of the band's strongest songwriting to date. And "Get Some" (2005), was the first SPV release and the first collaboration with Daniel Rey, and has more hooks than a hillbilly's tackle box. And, of course, the bonus live CD includes the ultimate version of "Nutbush City Limits" with special guest Ron Heathman from THE SUPERSUCKERS on guitar.
"Ten Years Of Pussy" track listing:
CD 1 - Best of
01. Come On Come On
02. Rub It To Death
03. I'm So High (with Danko Jones)
04. Going Down Swinging
05. Before The Drugs Wear Off
06. Hate And Whisky
07. The South's Too Fat To Rise Again
08. Pussy Time
09. Til The Meat Falls Of The Bone
10. Pillbilly
11. Why Why Why
12. Up The Dosage
13. Lazy Jesus (with Lemmy)
14. Ain't Your Business
15. Good Night For A Heart Attack
16. Stone Cold Down
CD 2 - Bonus "Live In Nottingham" CD
01. One Way Down
02. Nutbush City Limits (with Ron Heathman)
03. Struttin' Cock
04. Late Great USA
05. Go Motherfucker Go
06. You're Goin' Down

VAN HALEN will release its first-ever live album to feature original singer David Lee Roth. Recorded on June 21, 2013 at the famed Tokyo Dome in Tokyo, Japan, "Tokyo Dome Live In Concert" includes 23 songs, spanning all seven of the band's albums with Roth. It will be released as a double CD; four-LP set on 180-gram vinyl; and digitally beginning March 31, 2015.
VAN HALEN reinvented the sound of hard rock in 1978 with its influential and wildly successful eponymous debut album and then achieved ever greater success six years later with 1984. Both albums would define a generation while selling more than 10 million copies each in the U.S. alone to earn diamond-certification from the RIAA. The band recently went back to the original analog tapes and remastered both of these landmark albums — "Van Halen" and "1984" — which are now also set for release on March 31, 2015 through Warner Bros. Records.
Considered one of the greatest debut albums in rock history, "Van Halen" took the music world by storm in 1978 with an 11-song manifesto that features some of rock radio's most played songs of all time and scorching concert staples like "Runnin' With The Devil", "Ain't Talkin' 'Bout Love", "Jamie's Cryin'", the band's signature cover of THE KINKS' "You Really Got Me", and Eddie Van Halen's finger-tapping tour de force, "Eruption". Six years and five albums later, VAN HALEN had become one of the biggest bands in the world around the release of "1984", which includes a number of the band's most legendary songs such as the #1 hit "Jump", "Panama" and "Hot For Teacher".
Mastering engineer Chris Bellman, who remastered the original albums at Bernie Grundman Mastering Studios, was enlisted for these new versions. In order to produce the original sound the band intended, Bellman cut straight from the quarter-inch tapes for CD; for 180-gram vinyl; and for the digital versions. Newly mastered versions of "Diver Down", "Women And Children First", "Van Halen II" and "Fair Warning" are now being cut (for CD, for vinyl, and for digital) for release later in spring.
"Tokyo Dome Live In Concert" features an electrifying performance by singer David Lee Roth, guitarist Eddie Van Halen, drummer Alex Van Halen, and bassist Wolfgang Van Halen. Mixed by award-winning engineer and mixer Bob Clearmountain (THE ROLLING STONES, BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN, ROXY MUSIC, NINE INCH NAILS, and many more), and mastered by Chris Bellman, the album features such classic anthems as "Dance The Night Away", "Beautiful Girls", "And The Cradle Will Rock…", "Unchained" and "Everybody Wants Some!!", as well as blistering versions of "Tattoo", "She's The Woman" and "China Town" from the group's most recent studio album, "A Different Kind Of Truth".
A deluxe collection featuring "Tokyo Dome Live In Concert" and the newly remastered "Van Halen" and "1984" albums, as both a four-CD set and a six-LP vinyl set in special packaging, will also be available March 31.
According to Van Halen News Desk, the front and back covers of "Tokyo Dome Live In Concert" feature famous paintings by Adolf Mouron Cassandre. Roth loves the art deco era, and chose Cassandre's painting of the SS Normandie for the front cover, continuing with the traveling theme that started with the locomotive on "A Different Kind Of Truth". The back cover is similar to Cassandre's painting of the French cruise-liner L'Atlantique.
"Tokyo Dome Live In Concert" track listing:
01. Unchained
02. Runnin' With The Devil
03. She's The Woman
04. I'm The One
05. Tattoo
06. Everybody Wants Some!!
07. Somebody Get Me A Doctor
08. China Town
09. Hear About It Later
10. (Oh) Pretty Woman
11. Me & You (Drum Solo)
12. You Really Got Me
13. Dance The Night Away
14. I'll Wait
15. Cradle Will Rock
16. Hot For Teacher
17. Women In Love
18. Romeo Delight
19. Mean Street
20. Beautiful Girls
21. Ice Cream Man
22. Panama
23. Eruption (Guitar Solo)
24. Ain't Talkin' 'Bout Love
25. Jump
The songs "Panama" and "Runnin' With The Devil" from "Tokyo Dome Live In Concert" can be streamed below.